How To Grow Food Not Lawns

When I was recently thinking of expanding my survival garden, I wondered how much lawn do I really need? Would it be a better place to Grow Food?

So by eliminating some lawn, would I have a better place to grow food? There are so many benefits to growing your own food instead of a lawn. For example, it is a healthy alternative to the processed food you can buy in-store It is a potential money-saving exercise, as you can cut down on your monthly grocery bill It allows you to eat organic food that has not been tainted with the chemical additives.

However, for survivalists, possibly the biggest advantage of growing your own food is that it allows you to be self-sufficient. In a post societal collapse scenario, this could prove the difference between survival and death.

All bulk stored food will eventually run out, but by growing your own, you have the opportunity to continually replenish your stocks and therefore provide for you and your family for an extended period.

Even before societal collapse happens, self-sufficiency could be very beneficial, allowing you to live off-grid and removing your dependence on outside bodies. This can also give you added peace of mind, knowing that no matter what happens, you have the resources and knowledge not just to survive, but to thrive.

If this grow your own food idea appeals to you, then read on!

A Farm To Your Front Yard To Grow Food

In this article, I will not delve into the subject of how expensive and environmentally unsound the typical home lawn is. I am not suggesting you rid yourself entirely of your lawn area.

However, if you are convinced that this is a good idea, then you might be wondering how do you get started.

Well, there are a number of things you will need first. Obviously, first of all, you will need somewhere to grow your food. In essence, this means you either need your own garden or an allotment.

If you live in an inner-city high rise, then you can certainly grow a limited supply of foodstuffs, but it will be very difficult to really grow your inventory, so you should research allotments or community gardens in your locality if you are truly intending to pursue the idea.

Next, like any good project, this will require careful research and planning. Of course, reading this article is a good start, but there is a universe of material readily available on growing your own food.

You should read widely and deeply. There are too many gardening and permaculture blogs, websites, and magazines to name them all.

You should also check out more traditional mainstream publications like the gardener’s world, or just chat with people who are passionate about gardening and growing vegetables. They will be happy to share all their tips and trick with you.

Get To Know Your Seasons

As every gardener knows, the seasons dictate what foods you can grow. When you are crafting your initial plan, you should take this into account when making your home preparedness plans.

Most vegetables need either cool or warm weather to grow, so they are conveniently sorted into two distinct groups, those that grow in the cool season (spring and fall) and those that grow in the warm season (summer).

You will soon become very familiar with the fact that you should grow hardy vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbages and turnips in the cool season, around early spring or the very end of summer.

On the other hand, vegetables such as bean, tomatoes and sweet potatoes thrive in the warmth and are therefore ideal for summer gardens. You will find that if you stick by some simple rules, you can have delicious seasonal food all year round.

Head To The Gardening Center

Once you have attained a good level of knowledge about the world of GIY (grow it yourself), you should devise a plan for your own survivalist garden. This should take into account a number of factors, including, your local micro-climate, the number of people you plan on providing for (and their food preferences), your space availability, etc.

When you have a basic plan prepared, if possible you should share this with a friend who is knowledgeable on the issue. If they give you the sign of approval, then its time to head to the local gardening center, and get stocked up on everything you need.

This will include topsoil and containers, other paraphernalia such as spades and watering cans, and of course, the seeds themselves.

The Best Foods To Grow

This is one question every novice gardener is sure to ask, and the answer will depend on your own personal requirements. For many enthusiastic survivalists, they will be interested in growing the foods that have the best calorific value per unit of space taken up. You may also want food that can be easily dried and stored for winter. When you consider all these factors some of the best staple foods include beans, corn, and potatoes.

Beans should definitely be in any serious garden for it is one of your best survival tips. This is because beans are nutritious, versatile and packed full of both proteins and calories. Beans also have an extremely long shelf life when stored, and can be eaten in lots of different tasty and healthy recipes. Corn is another great option to consider.

Although corn is not as calorie-dense as beans, it also relatively easy to grow and is the basis of a great many recipes. It is particularly good when combined with other, more flavorsome, vegetables.

Potatoes are easy to grow in a wide variety of climates and provide a much-needed source of carbohydrates and energy for when the supply lines run short.

Overall, when picking the foods you will grow, you should think about the expected yield, the ease of growing and the ease of drying/storing. It is also important to include a healthy mix of high yield crops, cold weather crops, and perennials.

It is also important not to rely too heavily on one crop. Instead, it is advisable to have a balanced portfolio of foodstuffs in your garden, including vegetables for hearty meals, fruit/berries for tasty snacks and even some herbs for garnishing.

While the crops mentioned above could provide the basis for long-term supplies, they should be complemented by smaller amounts of other crops like carrots, cabbage, onions, and even fruit.

What To Do With Your Food

Once you have grown your food, the fun doesn’t stop there. As a dedicated survivalist, you  realize the food issues present after a crisis and you should know that there is a multitude of ways to preserve or process your homegrown goodies to make them last for the future.

For example, you can make jams and preserves from many of the berries you grow, such as strawberries, blackberries or gooseberries. Furthermore, you can pulverize vegetables such as butternut squash or tomatoes to make sauces that will stay good for many seasons to come.

You could also freeze many of the vegetables (before or after cooking) such as potatoes or root vegetables like turnips.

Fresh juices, squeezed from your own fruit or veg will be appreciated by everyone and is a fantastic way to get extra vitamins and nutrients into your body in a tasty way. If you fancy a challenge, you could also try and use your food to make flavored alcohols, for example, by growing botanicals for gin, apples for cider or potatoes for vodka!

But beware, this can be a demanding process, and the payoff from your food may take a long time!

Other Grow Food-Not Lawns Benefits

There are so many benefits to growing your own than merely being prepared for the fall of civilization. By spending by more time in the great outdoors, we can become more in touch with nature, which can help us really feel calm and at peace. Gardeners commonly report the feeling of serenity they get when they spend long hours outside looking after their vegetables.

Also, by spending time in solitude in the garden, you will have a lot of time to ponder your own thoughts. This can bring a tremendous feeling of contentment and peacefulness.

Of course, if this is not something that appeals to you, there is an activity Grow it yourself community in most places. This could be a great way to meet people with common interests and maybe even pick up some valued hints and tricks for your gardening journey.

What’s more, once you start growing your own food, you are sure to start appreciating the meals more. Nothing feels so good as a meal cooked from vegetables that you yourself have lovingly planted, tended and dug up. You can savor the long hours, toil and sweat in every bite!

A Grow Food Now Mentality

It is important to get your act together now, while you still have the luxury of resources to grow your own food.

You should start to build your stockpiles now, and even more importantly, get growing vegetables so you have plenty of practice for when the time comes that you need to rely exclusively on them for sustenance.

Even if you can only start with a small vegetable patch now or a single container. When a long term collapse of society happens, you may have only a short period of time to rely on bought supplies while you get your garden up and running.

Green thumbs have truly never been more important!